US Airways Dividend Miles - Lost Luggage in PHX? Talk to this guy.

http://www.abc15.com/content/news/phoenixmetro/central/story/Police-Couple-stole-thousands-of-bags-from/dKpV4Yry1EOFWqDe80dDrg.cspx

I'm not sure how he got away with it for so long?

How did he get away with it for so long? Simple. No positive bag matching. I don't even know what the point of the baggage claim stickers/tickets is, you very rarely need them.

It's another reason I don't check bags 95% of the time, certainly nothing of value when I do. Not only must I be concerned with TSA and baggage handler theft but there are the unscrupulous members of public who visit airports too.

I'm not suprised. I checked a bag two months ago to fly LAX-PHX and ended up VDBing and going the next day. When I arrived at PHX I saw my bag sitting in a pile by the United Baggage Services office. The person staffing it had people in front of him so I said "if I see my bag, can I just take it and go?" and he shrugged and said "Ok".

I am real young, but i still remember the days were your baggage ticket was compared with your checked bag your were claiming at the baggage claim by airport agents

maybe those criminals took baggage CLAIM too literally :)

I am real young, but i still remember the days were your baggage ticket was compared with your checked bag your were claiming at the baggage claim by airport agents

maybe those criminals took baggage CLAIM too literally :)

That never seemed to be 100% enforced anywhere - it came and went at some airports. I distinctly recall sometime in the last 20 years that PHX had this in T4 a couple of times. Now it's back to the free-for-all everywhere. With stories like this (nevermind TSA and baggage handlers) I think my paranoia about checking a bag is justified.

I've always been amazed at how the "honor system" at the baggage claim is not abused more often. Maybe it is!!!

The "fence" around the T-4 baggage claim is there so that luggage tags can be checked at the exits. They were checked prior to 2001, but the security officers were moved elsewhere after that.

There have never been checks at T-2 or T-3.

I guess I'm not surprised someone could do this once or twice, but after massive numbers of bags went missing (from the comment in the article about the horse trailer full of bags) I would think someone would be looking at the security tapes.

I've been checked for baggage claim info in ATL and MEX recently, but those are my only datapoints. MEX was international (and inside of customs) but ATL was outside; it certainly didn't appear to be a systematic, every-passenger check though.

The airlines have a "black list" for customers who file more than one baggage claim. With the efficient high paying wages airlines pay to bag handlers most bags come off planes long after passengers have had time to make to the baggage area eat a meal use the washroom and call there loved ones. So most passengers can see there bags imediately. I am taking a guess this guy either grabbed a bag as soon as it came up the conveyor belt at terminal four or waited for unclaimed and grabbed those. You can bet prevented measures have been taken such as assigning more airport police to ticket people trying to pick up passengers:(